“Vertical farming is one of those technologies which has the ability to transform the way food is grown and consumed,” says Paul.

“It’s very capital-intensive, but it’s something that – if successful and somebody is able to get that model to work – I think can be a big game changer for sure.

“It’s an area that we’ve focused on. We haven’t found something yet to invest in, but there’s a lot of really smart people doing amazing things, so it’s certainly on our radar.”

Yamaha is diversified industrial company, employing more than 50,000 people worldwide. The group includes a robotics business, building and supplying industrial robotic arms as well as developing experimental technologies, such as a the humanoid motorcycle rider. Yamaha is best known as a motor cycle manufacturer.

Paul also provided more insight into Yamaha’s decision to invest in agtech startup Advanced Farm Technologies, which has developed a robotic strawberry picker.

“With Advanced Farm Technologies, in this sector, development times take longer, so it’s really important to find teams that have experience, and this team does – they’ve taken a startup to acquisition before,” says Paul.

“Advanced Farm Tech has moved so quickly, their ability to be very lean, is really what I think we need to be successful in this space.

“And the team has a very complementary set of skills, both from a technology standpoint, the technical side, as well as on the business side.”

YMVSV has a fund of approximately $100 million for this type of investment, and it led the recent investment in Advanced Farm Technologies, in which the startup raised about $7.5 million.